BSBSC105

Engineering Ethics
and Professional
Practice:
General Electric

BY GABRIEL ROSSITER
 Index

Part 1
1. Company’s work environment and nature of work.

2. Codes of ethics and standards

3. Practices and principles followed for sustainable social, economic and environmental
engineering at GE

Part 2
4. Knowledge and skills required for a specific role identified at GE.
(I have identified an intern job for a mech engineer in renewable energy)

5. Duties and responsibilities faced by mechanical sectors/mech engineers at GE.

PART 1
Company Early History

1890 - Founded
1892 - Merging of Edison General Electric and Thomas-Houston electric
1929 - Enabled consumers to purchase electrical goods during the great depression
1939 - Developed Radar Tech in WWII
1941 – Commercial Jet Engines
1957 – Nuclear Power
1962 – Lazer lighting
1976 – Manufacturing of medical Devices
1981- 2001 GE becomes a massive conglomerate under CEO Jack Welch
2008 – GE stocks plummet due to over investment in Real Estate
2016 – GE sells appliance division to Chinese Manufacturer
2020 – GE shifts focus from conglomerate to energy solutions, Jet Engines & healthcare
technologies
 Nature of Work

- World renowned Engineers

- Leaders in renewable energy to research

- Pioneers in real world solutions

This link shows the technologies GE pioneered. https://www.ge.com/about-us/history#/

Timeline of different sectors GE has had impact in over the years.
 Work Environment and Values

- Holds integrity as one of its highest values.

- Strives to create an environment of inclusive culture & respect.
- Fosters Diversity & Free thinking

Two employees share their stories :

– Tanya Spenser , Chief Diversity Officer

- Lauren Duncan, Customer program technical leader

Tanya Spencer, Chief diversity officer
Tanya grew up in an environment, influenced heavily by racial segregation, and civil rights movements. Her
father was a large factor in driving her to study and attend a university. She was scooped up by one of the
recruiting agents that would come to the university.
Loyd Trotter, was the biggest influence on her career - A black man, who at the time was the GE vice
president.
This took her by surprise that a black person was seated so high up in the company and reinforced the values
at GE for her. He was the founder of the African affinity forum,(AFF), at GE and upon attending her first
meeting with the AFF she understood that GE stood with the people. They wanted people's ideas, brilliant
minds and promoted diverse talent within the company. She went on to become the president of the AFF
years later following the George Floyd and BLM movement.
Lauren Duncan, Customer program technical leader
Lauren is a transgender man who has been working with GE for the past 12 years.
Growing up she always felt different and isolated from the world. High school was hard as people weren’t
open minded and educated about the new world forming. In college she really found her voice. She could
connect with like-minded people, experience different cultures and get more involved in the LGBTQ rights
movements.
When beginning work at GE she wanted to feel at home and be herself. She didn’t want to live two different
lives and after communicating with HR and management she was able to freely be herself in the work-space.
She saw a lack of education within GE’s company with regards to LGBTQ rights and now currently serves as the
global transgender advocate across GE internationally. She does her best to educate people and set new
policies which makes it easy for people like her to comfortably transition in the work-space.
 Code of conduct
General Electric is deeply committed to their approach to integrity
Created a compliance handbook called The Spirit and the Letter
It governs all conduct of General Electric employees
Further supplemented by business compliance procedures
Includes compliance regulations requirements for their suppliers

Points covered in The Spirit & The Letter:

- Obey company laws and regulations governing business conduct worldwide.
- Fairness, honesty and trustworthiness in activities and relationships representing GE.
- Avoid conflicts of interest between work and personal affairs.
- Apply fair employment practices for all.
- A safe workplace and protection of the environment.
- In leadership roles, recognise and value integrity in employees.
- No matter what, do not compromise on integrity.
 Key compliance subjects for employees

This area of the GE compliance code is laid out in a clear and detailed way.
An employee could easily refer to it and understand the company expectations

.
Some of the key subjects include:

Money
Associates
Laws
Privacy policies
Governments
General Electric Supplier Compliance

The general compliance is for suppliers to be law abiding and to adhere to the
governing regulations of the industry. However, GE details many areas of compliance,
again making clear the company policies in different areas.
They include:

Labour laws & Human Rights

Environmental compliance
Health & Safety
Integrous business practice
Raising an Integrity Concern

General Electric has supportive administrative procedures in place which make

possible reporting of administration, regulatory, and integrity concerns.

This platform is available to General Electric suppliers to further regulate the conduct
of employees and company practices.

General Electric indicate they are committed to prompt investigation of all raised
concerns, and forbid retaliation against any person reporting a concern.
 PART 2

POSITION: Grid Solutions Mechanical Engineer Intern at General Electric

Starting the summer of 2024 GE is offering a position to eager young engineers in the renewable energy sector

Qualifications for position:

•Students enrolled full time in undergraduate program at an ABET accredited university
•Major in Mechanical Engineering
•Minimum of a 3.0 GPA score
•Willing to work in geographical locations specified by the company
•18 years or older
•Work in the US for unlimited period without sponsorship
 Learning outcomes and challenges:

Full technical training, mentorship and coaching

New skill set and knowledge within the field.

Responsibilities will include:

•Product design
•Component design
•System maintenance
•Controls and operating systems
•Advanced technology and manufacturing
•Quality
•Services
•Costing and more
Duties, Responsibility and Engineering problems faced by General Electric

AIM:
Energy transition for a sustainable future - Aims to be carbon neutral by 2030
Need to balance efficiency and sustainability. Directing resources to make this happen.
AREAS:
•GE onshore wind program
•GE offshore wind
•Gas power
•Nuclear power
 THE FUTURE – OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS ENGINEERS

- Provide a more sustainable future.

- We cannot pass on the burden of our creations to future engineers.
- Be what the future looks like
- Lay the foundation path for future generations
- Embrace Diversity to drive innovation of technology.

In the above, General Electric sets an ethical standard for all other companies to follow and
maintain.